The winter Morris book club selection is Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
Peter Bremer, Briggs Library staff, has provided some resource materials to make your reading more enjoyable. Discussion questions will be coming in approximately one month.
Good reading!
Trunk Show [New York Times book review of Water Foe Elephants]
Sara Gruen Chats About Water For Elephants [from saragruen.com]
Step Right Up! [History Magazine]
Asian Elephant [National Geographic]
The Truth Behind Elephant Brainpower [BBC News]
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
The winter book club selection is Water for Elephants
The January book selection is the award winning Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. Discussion questions will be posted here by January 28.
It you do not wish to use the blog format, but would like to contribute to the Morris book club, discussion replies and questions can be sent via email and will be posted online for the group to read on your behalf. Or, just simply read along!
Additional information regarding Water for Elephants will be provided by the Briggs Library Staff. Look for it in an email and below when available.
Happy Reading!
It you do not wish to use the blog format, but would like to contribute to the Morris book club, discussion replies and questions can be sent via email and will be posted online for the group to read on your behalf. Or, just simply read along!
Additional information regarding Water for Elephants will be provided by the Briggs Library Staff. Look for it in an email and below when available.
Happy Reading!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Award Winning Titles
The winter season is upon us and what a great time to read a book with other Morris alumni and friends! Hopefully the holidays have treated you well and you have time for reading and discussion with the Morris book club to help pass the wintry cold.
The January book selection will be “award winning” titles. A few titles are listed below to help select from or suggest your own ideas if you have them! Please vote for or submit your book selection by January 21, 2011. At that point, reading will begin with discussion online to follow.
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The January book selection will be “award winning” titles. A few titles are listed below to help select from or suggest your own ideas if you have them! Please vote for or submit your book selection by January 21, 2011. At that point, reading will begin with discussion online to follow.
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Monday, October 25, 2010
Work of Wolves - Fall Book Club Discussion Questions
Five discussion questions for the Fall book club reading (issued by Redmond Regional Library) can be found below. Respond to one or all of them, depending on what appeals to you the most. It is sure to capture great dialogue while discussing the work of Morris alumnus, Kent Meyers '77, and with UMM backgrounds in the group!
1. Kent Meyers opens his novel with a scene in which we are introduced to the teenage Carson Fielding and the wealthy rancher, Magnus Yarborough. What key elements of the novel are revealed to us in these opening pages?
2. Discuss the idea of Goat Man.
3. Which of the four characters—Carson, Earl, Willi, or Ted—do you think has the most to gain by rescuing the horses? Why?
4. In what way does this novel explore the concept of family and the ways in which families impact the individual?
5. What is the significance of the title, and how does that concept transcend the boundaries of this specific narrative?
1. Kent Meyers opens his novel with a scene in which we are introduced to the teenage Carson Fielding and the wealthy rancher, Magnus Yarborough. What key elements of the novel are revealed to us in these opening pages?
2. Discuss the idea of Goat Man.
3. Which of the four characters—Carson, Earl, Willi, or Ted—do you think has the most to gain by rescuing the horses? Why?
4. In what way does this novel explore the concept of family and the ways in which families impact the individual?
5. What is the significance of the title, and how does that concept transcend the boundaries of this specific narrative?
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Fall Reading - Work of Morris Alumni
If you didn't have time for reading this summer, now is your chance to join the fall reading for the Morris alumni and friends book club!
The September selection was chosen as "work of Morris alumni". A few titles are listed below to choose from or please suggest your own ideas if you have them. Please vote for or submit your favorite title by September 20, 2010. At that point, reading will begin with discussion online to follow.
The Witness of Combines (1998) by Kent Meyers '77
The Work of Wolves (2005) by Kent Meyers '77
Twisted Tree (2009) by Kent Meyers '77
Prairie Son (1999) by Dennis Clausen '65
Waiting Tables, Dodge Bullets: An Actors Guide to Surviving Los Angeles (2009) by Brendan Brandt '05
The September selection was chosen as "work of Morris alumni". A few titles are listed below to choose from or please suggest your own ideas if you have them. Please vote for or submit your favorite title by September 20, 2010. At that point, reading will begin with discussion online to follow.
The Witness of Combines (1998) by Kent Meyers '77
The Work of Wolves (2005) by Kent Meyers '77
Twisted Tree (2009) by Kent Meyers '77
Prairie Son (1999) by Dennis Clausen '65
Waiting Tables, Dodge Bullets: An Actors Guide to Surviving Los Angeles (2009) by Brendan Brandt '05
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Mountains Beyond Mountains Discussion Questions
Below are four discussion questions for the summer book club reading (issued by the publisher). Please respond to one or all of them, depending on which appeals to you the most! Also, remember the helpful hints in online discussion posted below in the first "discussion questions" post. It is sure to be a great discussion with UMM backgrounds in the group!
1. Paul Farmer finds ways of connecting with people whose backgrounds are vastly different from his own. How does he do this? Are his methods something to which we can all aspire?
2. The title of the book comes from the Haitian proverb, "Beyond mountains there are mountains." What does the saying mean in the context of the culture it comes from, and what does it mean in relation to Farmer's work? Can you think of other situations - personal or societal - for which this proverb might be appropriate?
3. Paul Farmer had an eccentric childhood and his accomplishments have been unique. Do you see a correlation between the way Farmer was raised and how he's chosen to live his life? How has your own background influenced your life and your decisions? (Has UMM had an influence on your life?)
4. Tracy Kidder has written elsewhere that the choice of point of view is the most important an author makes in constructing a work of narrative non-fiction. He has also written that finding a point of view that works is a matter of making a choice among tools, and that the choice should be determined, not by theory, but by an author's immersion in the materials of the story itself. Kidder has never before written a book in which he made himself a character. Can you think of some of the reasons he might have had for doing this in Mountains Beyond Mountains?
1. Paul Farmer finds ways of connecting with people whose backgrounds are vastly different from his own. How does he do this? Are his methods something to which we can all aspire?
2. The title of the book comes from the Haitian proverb, "Beyond mountains there are mountains." What does the saying mean in the context of the culture it comes from, and what does it mean in relation to Farmer's work? Can you think of other situations - personal or societal - for which this proverb might be appropriate?
3. Paul Farmer had an eccentric childhood and his accomplishments have been unique. Do you see a correlation between the way Farmer was raised and how he's chosen to live his life? How has your own background influenced your life and your decisions? (Has UMM had an influence on your life?)
4. Tracy Kidder has written elsewhere that the choice of point of view is the most important an author makes in constructing a work of narrative non-fiction. He has also written that finding a point of view that works is a matter of making a choice among tools, and that the choice should be determined, not by theory, but by an author's immersion in the materials of the story itself. Kidder has never before written a book in which he made himself a character. Can you think of some of the reasons he might have had for doing this in Mountains Beyond Mountains?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
July Memoir Selection
Summer is well under way, hope you are enjoying some warmer weather!
As part of our inaugural book club, alumni and friends have chosen to select a memoir book to read in July/August.
Please vote for one or two of your favorite choices. Then, three books will be randomly selected and popular vote will decide the July book selection. Please select your book choices by Wednesday, June 30 and the voting will begin on July 1st.
If you would like to view a list of popular memoirs, here is a link found on the web (http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/memoirs).
As part of our inaugural book club, alumni and friends have chosen to select a memoir book to read in July/August.
Please vote for one or two of your favorite choices. Then, three books will be randomly selected and popular vote will decide the July book selection. Please select your book choices by Wednesday, June 30 and the voting will begin on July 1st.
If you would like to view a list of popular memoirs, here is a link found on the web (http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/memoirs).
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